1. Field of Invention
Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for detecting potential faults in an electrical power distribution system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Electrical maintenance engineers are often tasked with detecting and correcting problems in electrical power distribution systems before these problems become catastrophic faults. One problem faced by electrical maintenance engineers is to locate and repair unsecure connections in an electrical power distribution system so that the unsecure connection may be repaired before it fails completely. Unsecure connections may include, for example, a loose bolt on a busbar, a poorly connected circuit breaker, a corroded electrical connection, or a connection that the vibration of associated or nearby equipment has worked loose over time.
One tool at the electrical maintenance engineer's disposal for detecting problems in electrical power distribution systems is the use of infrared cameras to analyze equipment. Infrared cameras may be utilized to detect problems such as loose connections or corrosion in an electrical connection because these problems typically increase the resistance of the electrical connection thereby increasing the temperature at the location of the problem. Using an infrared camera helps a maintenance engineer to see if there could be a problem developing in a portion of an electrical power distribution system that is not otherwise visually apparent. FIG. 1 shows an example where a loose connection is causing the top wire illustrated in the figure to heat more than the other wires. If a problem which results in localized heating is detected by inspection with an infrared camera, the electrical maintenance engineer will know where to focus efforts to correct the problem.
Manual inspection with infrared cameras, however, is not an ideal solution for detecting and correcting problems in electrical power distribution systems. Manual inspection with infrared cameras does not provide continuous monitoring to the electrical power distribution system. Operators will often perform an infrared analysis on key equipment once a year, or once every several years. Further, electrical maintenance engineers can only analyze what they can see. Switchgear cabinets often have only a small port through which electrical maintenance engineers can perform infrared inspection of systems within the cabinets. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a switchgear cabinet including a viewing port through which an electrical maintenance engineer is performing an infrared inspection. In many instances, the majority of the connections in an electrical power distribution system are hidden from view, and unable to be inspected visually. For example, electrical connections located in sealed conduits may not be visually accessible at all. Manual inspection of an electrical power distribution system with infrared cameras is also time consuming. The electrical maintenance engineers may also be required to ensure that an electrical power distribution system under inspection is sufficiently loaded, for example, at 40% of peak load or more, to cause heat build-up in the system at locations of potential imminent faults.
Another tool electrical maintenance engineers may have at their disposal are power monitoring systems. A power monitoring system may collect power quality and energy data from monitoring devices throughout an electrical power distribution system and may allow operators to analyze potential problems, for example, power quality events, power factor, or harmonics. This data could indicate potential problems in the electrical distribution system itself or could indicate problems with either the electrical supplier (utility) or consumers of the energy. In some instances, a power monitoring system may highlight the same types of problems as infrared analysis by measuring electrical parameters of an electrical system, instead of relying on a visual inspection. Understanding how to correlate the large volume of power data a power monitoring system may collect with potential electrical faults which should be addressed can be a challenge.
Yet another tool maintenance engineers may utilize is a vibration analysis system. Vibration analysis systems, rather than being used to monitor electrical power parameters of an electrical power distribution system, may be used to monitor major assets such as large motors or key pieces of machinery. Vibration monitors in a vibration analysis system can detect imbalances in a machine or motor that could indicate potential failures in components such as bearings or brushes.